Biocompatible channels for field-flow fractionation of biological samples: correlation between surface composition and operating performance

Biocompatible methods capable of rapid purification and fractionation of analytes from complex natural matrices are increasingly in demand, particularly at the forefront of biotechnological applications. Field-flow fractionation is a separation technique suitable for nano-sized and micro-sized analytes among which bioanalytes are an important family. The objective of this preliminary study is to start a more general approach to field-flow fractionation for bio-samples by investigation of the correlation between channel surface composition and biosample adhesion. For the first time we report on the use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to study the surface properties of channels of known performance. By XPS, a polar hydrophobic environment was found on PVC material commonly used as accumulation wall in gravitational field-flow fractionation (GrFFF), which explains the low recovery obtained when GrFFF was used to fractionate a biological sample such as Staphylococcus aureus. An increase in separation performance was obtained first by conditioning the accumulation wall with bovine serum albumin and then by using the ion-beam sputtering technique to cover the GrFFF channel surface with a controlled inert film. XPS analysis was also employed to determine the composition of membranes used in hollow-fiber flow field-flow fractionation (HF FlFFF). The results obtained revealed homogeneous composition along the HF FlFFF channel both before and after its use for fractionation of an intact protein such as ferritin.     

ANTENNA EFFECT IN LUMINESCENT LANTHANIDE CRYPTATES: A PHOTOPHYSICAL STUDY

Excited state emission and absorption decay measurements have been made on the cage-type cryptate complexes [M bpy.bpy.bpy]ⁿ⁺, where Mⁿ⁺= Na⁺, La³⁺, Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺ or Tb³⁺ and [bpy.bpy.bpy] is a tris-bipyridine macrobicyclic cryptand. Excitation has been performed in the high intensity ¹π-π* cryptand band with maximum at about 300 nm. Experiments have been carried out in H₂O or D₂O solutions and at 300 and 77 K to evaluate the rate constants of radiative and nonradiative decay processes. For Mⁿ⁺= Na⁺, La³⁺ and Gd³⁺ the lowest excited state of the cryptate is a ³ππ* level of the cryptand which decays in the microsecond time scale at room temperature in H₂O solution and in the second-millisecond time scale at 77 K in MeOH-EtOH. For Mⁿ⁺= Eu³⁺, the lowest excited state is the luminescent ⁵D₀ Eu³⁺ level which in H₂O solution is populated with 10% efficiency and decays to the ground state with rate constants 2.9 × 10³ s^_1 at room temperature and 1.2 × 10³ s^?′ at 77 K. The relatively low efficiency of ⁵D₀ population upon ¹ππ* excitation is attributed to the presence of a ligand-to-metal charge transfer level through which ¹ππ* decays directly to the ground state. For Mⁿ⁺= Tb³⁺ the lowest excited state is the luminescent ⁵D₄ Tb³⁺ level. The process of ⁵D₄ population upon ¹ππ* excitation is ?100% efficient, but at room temperature it is followed by a high-efficiency, activated back energy transfer from the ⁵D₄ Tb³⁺ level to the ³ππ* ligand level because of the relatively small energy gap between the two levels (1200 cm^_1) and the intrinsically long lifetime of ⁵D₄. At 77 K back energy transfer cannot take place and the ⁵D₄ Tb^3* level deactivates to the ground state with rate constant 5.9 × 10² s^-′ (H₂O solution). The relevance of these results toward the optimization of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ cryptates as luminescent probes is discussed.     

Electroanalytical and spectroscopic characterization of poly(o-phenylenediamine) grown on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

The polymerization of ortho-phenylenediamine (o-PD) on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) at different pH (1,3,5,7) was investigated by electroanalytical and spectroscopic methods. Cyclic voltammetry was used both to polymerize o-PD and to study the electroactivity of the resulting poly(ortho-phenylenediamine) (PPD) film. A redox couple associated to the PPD electroactivity, deeply influenced by the pH adopted during polymerization, was recorded. A correlation between this feature and the electrochemistry shown by the oligomers of o-PD, generated in solution during the polymer synthesis, was also found. A comparison between the absorption spectra, in the visible region, of the soluble oligomers and of the PPD films was also performed, suggesting that changes in both the polymer and the oligomer structure occur and are highly related to the polymerization pH. In particular, a higher degree of conjugation is exhibited by the PPD films electrosynthesised at lower pH and this likely explains the higher conductivity as well as the higher electroactivity shown by the material obtained in these conditions.     

Surface Segregation Assessment In Poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐poly(ethylene glycol) Multiblock Copolymer Films

The ability to predict the in vivo performance of multiblock‐copolymer‐based biomaterials is crucial for their applicability in the biomedical field. In this work, XPS analysis of PCL‐PEG copolymers was carried out, as well as morphological and wettability evaluations by SEM and CA measurements, respectively. XPS analysis on films equilibrated in PBS demonstrated a further enrichment in the PEG component on the surface. Copolymer films obtained by casting using different solvents showed a dependence in segregation according to the solvent employed. Cell adhesion tests demonstrated the importance of copolymer segregation and rearrangement in a wet environment, with a dependence of these phenomena on the copolymer molecular weight.

     

Characterisation of permanent markers by pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (PyGC-MS) was used as a rapid method for the characterization of permanent marker ink. Twenty-four samples of various colours purchased from different manufacturers were characterised. Four main typologies of polymer-binding medium could be distinguished on the basis of the pyrolysis products, and differentiation between permanent markers of different manufacturers could be accomplished. For some permanent marker samples, PyGC-MS analysis allowed pigment identification as well.     

2,2'-bipyridine lariat calixcrowns: a new class of encapsulating ligands forming highly luminescent Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes

A new class of calix[4]arene crown ethers with one or two bipyridines appended to the polyether ring (lariat calixcrowns) have been designed and synthesized; the luminescence properties of their Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes have been studied in acetonitrile. In this solvent, long lifetimes for the metal emitting states and high metal-luminescence intensities obtained upon ligand excitation have been observed in both Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes. The association constants in methanol have been determined for some of the complexes studied.     

Berberine Derivatives as Pseudomonas aeruginosa MexXY-OprM Inhibitors: Activity and In Silico Insights

The natural alkaloid berberine has been demonstrated to inhibit the Pseudomonas aeruginosa multidrug efflux system MexXY-OprM, which is responsible for tobramycin extrusion by binding the inner membrane transporter MexY. To find a structure with improved inhibitory activity, we compared by molecular dynamics investigations the binding affinity of berberine and three aromatic substituents towards the three polymorphic sequences of MexY found in P. aeruginosa (PAO1, PA7, and PA14). The synergy of the combinations of berberine or berberine derivatives/tobramycin against the same strains was then evaluated by checkerboard and time-kill assays. The in silico analysis evidenced different binding modes depending on both the structure of the berberine derivative and the specific MexY polymorphism. In vitro assays showed an evident MIC reduction (32-fold and 16-fold, respectively) and a 2–3 log greater killing effect after 2 h of exposure to the combinations of 13-(2-methylbenzyl)- and 13-(4-methylbenzyl)-berberine with tobramycin against the tobramycin-resistant strain PA7, a milder synergy (a 4-fold MIC reduction) against PAO1 and PA14, and no synergy against the ΔmexXY strain K1525, confirming the MexY-specific binding and the computational results. These berberine derivatives could thus be considered new hit compounds to select more effective berberine substitutions and their common path of interaction with MexY as the starting point for the rational design of novel MexXY-OprM inhibitors.